Telangana HC Quashes Phone Tapping Case Against Harish Rao

Hyderabad: In a significant relief for Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former minister T. Harish Rao, the Telangana High Court on Thursday quashed the phone tapping case registered against him.

Court’s Decision on Phone Tapping Case

Justice K. Lakhsman quashed the First Information Report (FIR) filed against Harish Rao at Punjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad in December of last year. The case had been registered based on a complaint by G. Chakradhar Goud, a real estate businessman and leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The FIR included charges under criminal conspiracy, extortion, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation, and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

Allegations by Goud and Background of the Case

The complainant, Goud, who had contested the 2023 elections against Harish Rao from the Siddipet Assembly constituency, accused the former minister and his associates of harassment, threats, and unlawful surveillance of his phone. Goud claimed that Harish Rao had developed a grudge against him due to his charitable work, including financial assistance to the families of farmers who had committed suicide. Goud further alleged fabricated cases and unauthorized surveillance carried out by Harish Rao’s associates.

Harish Rao’s Legal Petition and Court Hearings

Harish Rao, nephew of BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, had filed a petition in the High Court to quash the FIR. During the court hearing, the state government urged strict action against Harish Rao, accusing him of using state intelligence machinery to monitor and intimidate his political rivals.

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State Government’s Argument Against Harish Rao

Representing the state government, senior Supreme Court lawyer Sidhartha Luthra argued that a minister should act as a protector of citizens but claimed that Harish Rao had instead acted as a predator by allegedly using phone surveillance to target opponents.

Defense Arguments by Harish Rao’s Counsel

On the other hand, Harish Rao’s counsel, Seshadri Naidu, argued that the sections of law mentioned in the FIR, including criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and extortion, were not applicable to the case. The defense also pointed out that several criminal cases were pending against Chakradhar Goud, which raised questions about the credibility of the allegations.

Revelation of Phone-Tapping Allegations

The phone tapping allegations surfaced in March of the previous year when Deputy Superintendent of Police Praneeth Rao was arrested following a complaint from his superior, D. Ramesh, Additional SP with the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB). The investigation revealed that Prabhakar Rao, the then chief of SIB, had allegedly set up a surveillance team targeting rival political leaders, their families, dissidents within the ruling party, businessmen, journalists, and even judges.

Legal Proceedings and Current Status

So far, six individuals have been named in connection with the case, including Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and Bhujanga Rao, and former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, who are all in judicial custody. The main accused, Prabhakar Rao, and Shravan Kumar Rao, the managing director of a media outlet, are currently in the United States.